The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Benue state have laughed off the reported return of its former National Chairman, Senator Barnabas Gemade from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing him a political nomad.
PDP in a statement issued on Sunday by its state Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, said that while politician in the class of of Senator Gemade have begun the retirement journey, to leave the stage for their sons and protégés, the Septuagenarian has never believed in the young shall grow slogan
Senator Gemade alongside Terngu Shawon who served as the gubernatorial campaign Director General of the PDP in the last election at the weekend in Gemade’s village, Mbajov, Mbawar council Ward of Konshisha Local Government Area, Benue State defected to the APC, allegeing that his defection had sent panic in the camp of the ruling PDP and other political parties.
But Bemgba Iortyom, said said the PDP was amused by what it termed a defection charade which the party should not lose sleep of.
“Firstly, was Senator Gemades’s diminishing political value not highlighted by his abysmally poor performance in his Senatorial re-election bid in 2019 on the platform of the SDP, where he lost even in his native Mbawar and placed third in the race behind a political greenhorn like Mimi Orubibi, after he had junketed from APC to PDP and then to SDP all in the space of a few months?
“Senator Gemade needs to be reminded that his party SDP has not won even a single councilorship seat in all elections since he joined the party in 2019. It lost in all the polls he actively participated in last year,” Iortyom stated.
He added that Senator Gemade should also remember that “PDP won the governorship election, 3 senatorial seats out of 3, 7 House of Representatives seats of 11 and 23 Benue State House of Assembly seats out of 30. “The party also has 23 elected council chairmen out of 23 and 276 elected councillors. So why would PDP be jittery?
“It is unfortunate that while politicians of Senator Gemade’s generation are retiring and leaving room on the leadership stage for their protégés, the septuagenarian is still embarking on political quests suitable for his children’s generation.”
